Improvement in harvesters



l UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIGEr THERON E. PLATT, OF NEWTOWN', CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOE TO HIMSELF AND GEORGE D. LAMBERT, OF THE SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT INl HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 72,756, dated December 31, 1867.

To all rwhom it may concern- Be it known that I, TEERoN E. PLATT, of Newtown, in the county of Faireld and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Mowing-Machines 5 and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure, l a top view; Fig. 2, a side view, and in Fig. 3 a front view.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of mowing-machines which are constructed with the cutters working upon an arm hung to the frame of the machine, so 4as to be turned up or let down by the operator, as occasion may require. The cutter-bar is thus raised or lowered by the operator employing one hand upon the lever for the purpose. The bar is quite heavy, and therefore requires no inconsiderable amount of strength to thus raise the bar, and at times when it is most desirable to so raise the bar it is also necessary, or would be convenient, to say the least, to use both hands in the management of the horses, but this the driver cannot do; and to improve the machine, so that the driver may always have both hands free, and to save the strength required for raising the cutter-bar, is the .object of this invention, which consists in the arrangement of a clutch upon or in connection with the driving-power, so that the movement of the clutch will at once connect the power to raise the cutter-bar, and this being done by the foot of the operator both hands are left free for other uses.

To enable others to construct my improvement, I will proceed to describe the sameas illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

A is the frame, of common construction, arranged upon an axle, B, provided with wheels C. D is the cutter-bar, hinged to the frame at a, and arranged for the attachment and operation of the cutters in the usual manner. E

is a counter-shaft, driven from the axle B by a belt, F, or its equivalent, onto a pulley, G, the said pulley being loose upon the shaft E, so as to revolve freely thereon 5 and onto the said shaft, and so as to move only longitudinally, is arranged a clutch, H, the face of which, correspon ding to the face of the pulley, will, when the two are in connection, as denoted in red, Fig. 3, cause the shaft E to revolve, or when drawn back, as in Fig. 1, by a spring or otherwise, the shaft remains stationary. I is a lever, arranged so that the driver, by placing his foot thereon, may move the clutch, so as to cause the said shaft to revolve, or, removing his foot from the lever, the clutch will be disconnected. Upon the outer end of the shaft E is arranged a pulley, J, from which a connection passes to the cutter-barD,

as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, so that When the said shaft is caused `to revolve the drawing up of the said connection onto the pulley J causes a raising of the cutter-bar, as denoted in red, Fig. 3, and when raised the cutter-bar is held by a pawl, d, working in a ratchet on the said shaft, which said pawl the operator may release by the movement of his foot to permit the depression or fall of the cutter-bar. Thus, whenever obstacles are in the way of the cutter or the horses becoming' unmanageable, the cutter-bar may be raised to avoid the difficulties by a simple movement of the foot, leaving the hands free for the government of the horses.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The arrangement of the clutch H upon a shaft, E, and in connection with the cutterbar, so that by means of the said clutch -the cutter-bar may be raised, substantially as set forth.

THERON E. PLATT.

Witnesses:

A. J. TIBBITs, J onN E. EARLE. 

